Should I Let my Plant Go to Seed?

All plants have one mission to their existence, to grow, bloom and set seed to perpetuate themselves if you will. We have all appreciated the late fall and winter ‘seed heads’ on clematis, which add a unique beauty to the landscape in the colder months. Your clematis seed heads are actually the fruit of the plant.

In the early season it is best to deadhead spent flowers from your clematis plants. Here’s why. If you do not, the plant slows down bloom production as it is feeling like it’s mission is close to being accomplished. By deadheading early to mid summer blooms, you encourage the plant to keep blooming.

At mid summer, encourage your clematis plant further by trimming or pruning the plant. Fertilize and continue to enjoy more blooms. Late summer is good time to allow the plant to ‘set seed’ from the late flowers. This way you have the abundant bloom span, and still get to enjoy some of the unique fruit that will last for months on the plants as you enter the winter season.